#TSBSpecial— The Story Of Eddie Roll's Rise To Fame.

Eddie Roll

Eddie Roll in a photo session

"Aboy focus that homeboy, we don dey bone since, omor, we no know joy"

—EDDIE ROLL: The Introduction.

Long before his induction into the Bayelsa entertainment Hall of Fame, Eddie Roll has always been a powerhouse— maybe not as powerful then, as he is now to the locals. But to the outside world, even far beyond the shores of the Niger Delta, his fragrance had been identified. The name (Eddie Roll) had stuck out.

Born Edmond Alaowei Osumawei, the maestro from Peremabiri community of Bayelsa state has not only paid his compulsive dues collected by industry gatekeepers, he has luckily started to witness the likely result of hard work. The smell of success has found its way to his nose, and, from the look of things, he is not snorting — only inhales.
It's noteworthy that before his unopposed exploits in Bayelsa, there was an Eddie presence in Port Harcourt, Rivers state. He was, and still is, involved in the careers of many artists.

—EDDIE ROLL: Oh! I know this name.

Nearly a decade back would be my first contact with the name.....
"I want to go see Eddie Roll," 9ja Obama would say.
"Who's he?" I would ask.
"He's a Port Harcourt based producer, and his work is superb," Obama would say.
This robust stance wasn't taken by 9ja Obama alone, Judge Ibala took it. GT Money took it. And a host of others did — they spoke squarely of Eddie's Port Harcourt conquest and his ingenuity behind the console.

—EDDIE ROLL: "Not another story of Bayelsan entertainment".

The Bayelsan entertainment industry is one powered by collective ambition or so it's believed, but there's no denying the fact that every move made by artist A acts as a propellant force for artist B and consequently the industry at large. It doesn't matter if these moves are in the positives or negatives— there are consequences.

In times past, the success of an artist was determined by certain achievable factors: the acceptance of their sound and their popularity, at state level.
Artists such as Foster Rhymes, MC Network and others, before and after them, are blissful benefactors of state dominance (even though there can be a strong argument against them having just state dominance as there is significant evidence of their sound making a total crossover to neighbouring states).

On the other hand, since the success of Timaya, the requirements bar for a successful career, although largely  subjective, have risen. And on such grounds, a number of artists have taken themselves and their art outside the state, seeking national recognition while paying regular homage to their places of early beginnings. However, a contrast to this practice is, Eddie Roll.

While others searched for new cheerleaders outside, Abobi went on a rigorous hunt for home base acceptance, and at the same time managed to stay connected with his diaspora fans.

"Make dem go blow for west, na we go get South"

—EDDIE ROLL: The return 1.

 The Bayelsan entertainment industry would witness a mammoth leap upon Eddie's 2017 Lagos-Bayelsa migration, and with a bang, like that of two asteroids colliding, did it happen.
The foremost song that did the job is 'Kill Person' by Eddie's long-time friend and partner in crime, J. Boogie. All the 'street king' needed to announce his able presence was a feature and production credit.
'The boy is in town,' Kill Person connoted. Kill Person was everywhere; its impact had industry watchers on the alert and thus the demand for Eddie's biography plummeted.

"Who's Eddie Roll?"
"Who's Eddie Roll?"
...........

—EDDIE ROLL: Let's Go Back In Time.

Prior to his required return, Eddie laid boastful claim to an envious audio catalogue, both as an artist and as a producer. His away games had resulted in such an impressive résumé.
The story goes way back to his days in Ghana, where his artistry took the demeanour of Jamaican Reggae called Rub-a-Dub. Thereafter, having immersed himself in the workings of the industry, he moved to Port Harcourt, and later to Lagos, Nigeria. His skill at producing sharpened by the sheer will to improve. This has led him to work as producer with numberless artists. The likes of J. Boogie, Dandizzy, Piego (Ajebo Hustlers), Etinosa, Romeo without Juliet and Romeo's Badman Headquarters, have been linked with Eddie Roll.

In 2016 Eddie Roll became one of numerous Nigerian producers to score a nationwide hit, after producing joy, a song by 1da Banton, an artist revered by the people of Port Harcourt and, by extension, Nigerians.
The success of joy became a tremendous career booster for Eddie Roll, allowing him a seat among top-tier Nigerian music producers.

But the guy who's currently leading the pack and handling the business of street through music, wanted more........

Abobi's success as a producer brought with it all the byproducts but the sense of accomplishment, and just maybe his success as an artist was the key to guaranteed fulfilment. "Therefore, going to succeed as an artist, too, he must".

"Girla wyne girla wyne for the boy, show me love agirly try for the boy, see dem girls want to die for the boy, no dey frown, baby, smile for the boy"

—EDDIE ROLL: The Return 2 and the plot.

In his short stay in Bayelsa, Eddie's alignment with the streets of Yenagoa became mutual — his understanding of the street and vice versa birthed a love affair – one that would transcend the many obstacles alotted to almost every creative in the city. This bond was so unbreakable that, whatever utterances Abobi made had an echo of assurance from the street.

Eddie was on the right path.
Many singles (which he worked as a featured artist) were put out.

Two focal strategies were used:

1. Dominate the airwaves: this was made possible by his collaborations with the state's top radio OAP's, and one of such collaborations brought about the jovial Dr. Fish song.

2. Dole out songs that cater to a specific niche (the street); the usage of everyday street parlance and the phlegmatic style of Eddie Roll established a fine marriage that became instrumental in achieving this.

—EDDIE ROLL: the birth of an anthem.

In October of 2017, Eddie Roll released his first single— a game changer.

Wida You, in its initial stages of release, was somewhat considered an enabler of the very societal ills plaguing the city of Yenagoa, its theme took the life of the underworld and, although the daily struggles of ordinary Bayelsans were explicitly pronounced, the pernicious nature of the song was easily capitalized on by critics.

Mainstream Bayelsa despised Wida You. Most households, especially the upper-middle-class, treated Wida You with great contempt, and those with parental duties shut down every possible outlet through which Wida You could get to their wards.

However, a different group had found a companion in Wida You and was going to own every bit of it. Like a man proud of his lady, these staunch 'owners', displayed it; they carried it.
They took what had gone through a thorough dearth of endorsements and breathed hard optimism into it. This was not the elite, this was the underground standing for one of theirs. They accepted what was considered atrocious and forced it on everyone else— they were the true promoters.

"Baba K gimme compass, make I get D'banj for contact"

By December of 2017, Wida You had fought its way through every barricade to become the biggest song in mainstream Bayelsa, dominating every playlist assembled by key music influencers in the state. With fans ranging from the young to the old, from those whose activities are performed at odd hours to those who are open in carrying out daily activities, the eventuality of Wida You had crept up on those in every social stratum. They didn't notice.
For once, club owners could hear the chants of a phrase enveloped in such sacredness from two opposing groups— the underground had been mainstreamed.


As the streets of Yenagoa celebrated the birth of an anthem, Eddie Roll laughed all the way to the bank. His face graced every A-list events, and as expected, accolades, in monetary and awards forms, started reaching him.

Some recognitions worthy of mention are:

1. BAE Awards
—Next Rated award,
—Afro-Pop Single Of The Year and
—Lyricist Of The year
— Producer Of The Year (Joy By Wonder) (Winner)
2. Galaxy Music Awards
—Best Rap Single Of The Year.
—Lyricist On The Roll.
3. BMAA.
— Song Of The Year (Winner)
— Next Rated
— Collaboration Of The Year
— Producer Of The Year
— Rap Song Of The Year
— Rap Artist Of The Year

The road to success doesn't come with a how-to-do-it manual. Instead, it offers to us the boon of sovereignty; and just as Eddie Roll had to come home to be relevant abroad, anyone can apply whatever works for them on the intriguing road to success— theSleekBuzz.